How Crowded Is Theodore Roosevelt National Park in May?

May runs about 1.2× Theodore Roosevelt National Park's average month, which makes it a busy month here — roughly 10% of the park's yearly visitors come in May.

In a typical May the park sees about 70,000 recreation visits, based on National Park Service monthly counts from 1979 to 2025.

That makes May the 5th-busiest of the park's twelve months, sitting between the July peak (2.7×) and the December low (0.1×).

On our Best Time to Visit score May rates 64/100 ("Good") — the single best-rated month at Theodore Roosevelt, balancing crowds against weather and daylight.

Typical May weather, from 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals at the nearest station, averages a daytime high near 64°F and an overnight low around 42°F.

That average of about 53°F is a comfortable range for hiking and being outdoors all day.

Because June, July and August together draw about 61% of annual visitors, choosing May instead steps outside that summer crush — the single biggest lever on how crowded the park feels.

You'll have about 14.9 hours of daylight in May to explore — between the 8.3-hour midwinter low and the 15.7-hour summer high.

Park-wide, 2025 drew 729,893 recreation visits, about flat from 732,951 in 2024.